This past week, Palhares’ former coach, Murilo Bustamante, became the latest to pile on in the controversy over Palhares when he claimed the fighter had a history of hurting teammates in the practice room.

“I got tired of seeing how he hurts people so often when he is sparring, especially when he has a fight coming up,” Bustamante told Fighters Only. “We used to argue every time it happened, so we argued a lot.”

Nogueira countered that Palhares was a model citizen and incapable of malicious behavior.

“He is a good person, excellent to be around and a man with great character,” Nogueira stated. “I believe that he has never thought of doing any harm or anything evil to any opponent because this just isn’t his natural conduct.”

After several years under the same roof at Brazilian Top Team, the Nogueira brothers and Bustamante now find themselves at odds over Palhares’ behavior at UFC Fight Night 29.

Palhares (15-5), 33, was first denied a performance bonus when he torqued Mike Pierce‘s ankle too long at the Oct. 9 event, and the UFC then banned him outrightfor “unsportsmanlike conduct.” To boot, the athletic commission overseeing the event issued him a 120-day suspension.

Pierce (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) will find out soon if he needs surgery for what appears to be a severe sprain of his medial collateral ligament (MCL).

Meanwhile, Palhares’ professional career is in the dumps. He was scratched from the 2013 Abu Dhabi submission wrestling championships and was snubbed by Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney.

Nogueira defended Palhares’ ankle lock of Pierce and said the incident was the result of the “dangerous position” needed for the submission hold.

“The guy who applies it has to be explosive,” he stated. “When it happens, usually there is no time for you to look at your opponent. [Palhares] lost the position several times because he lessened it a little.

“It is a position that you go with everything, or you lose the adjustment. It is a complicated situation, [and the referee] needs to be in the right place, very close, to be able to intervene in an energetic way.”

Despite his view, Nogueira doesn’t plan to raise a stink with his employer.

“I do not question the UFC decisions because the people who are in command there have a global view of the business, and they understand it better than anyone in the world the business side that involves our sport,” he stated.